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NEWARK – Beginning Tuesday, Danny Rocco can finally do what he came to Delaware do.

He’ll coach the Blue Hens on the football field.

At 2:45 p.m., Delaware has the first of its 15 spring practice sessions that’ll culminate in the Blue-White intrasquad May 6 at Delaware Stadium.

Rocco was hired as Delaware coach Dec. 13 after five seasons at Colonial Athletic Association rival Richmond, which went 43-22 in that span and made NCAA FCS playoff appearances the last three years.

Prior to that, he was the head coach at Liberty University for six seasons, his teams going 47-20, making Rocco 90-42 in 11 seasons as a head coach. His teams never had a losing record. Delaware has had two straight for the first time since the late 1930s.

“Spring ball has always been one of the more enjoyable times for me as a coach,” Rocco said Monday. “I’ve been doing this 34 years and it’s kind of the perfect blend of football, interaction with your student-athletes, but you don’t have the weekly grind and pressure of the games.

“You can teach. You can slow things down. You can really spend time with everybody. You’re not really working with scout teams. Everybody on your team is getting coached. Everybody on your team is getting evaluated. You’re not just trying to get the team ready to play on Saturday. You’re trying to evaluate everybody on your team and see what roles they may have.”

But with a new coaching staff in place, Delaware will be installing new pro-style offensive and 3-4 defensive schemes, meaning there’ll be a greater learning curve for everyone and nobody’s spot is secured.

Though Delaware does have a depth chart, “everybody has a clean slate, everybody has a fresh start,” Rocco said.

For Rocco and his coaching staff, most of which is drawn from his former Richmond staff, it’s a get-to-know-you situation.

“What we want to do is be able to evaluate our personnel,” he said. “That’s the first thing we have to be able to do. Sometimes that first year, that’s more significant than the subsequent years.”

To do that, Rocco added, involves sticking to the basics of what’ll be Delaware’s offensive and defensive schemes.

“We don’t want to put them in situations they’re not yet ready to handle, and then you don’t get a true evaluation of the player,” Rocco said, using the example of an offensive lineman using basic techniques to block a pass rusher before he can deal with more complex methods. “... Everything we do is a stepping stone to get them to gain or master a technique and then build upon that technique.”

Rocco has been impressed with the ability and depth that’s apparent at most position areas, especially throughout the defense, and running back, which he calls particularly “deep and talented.”

Wes Hills, 19th all-time on the UD career rushing list (1,849 yards), is healthy, Rocco said, after an injury-plagued 2016. He’s joined by Thomas Jefferson (1,590 career yards is 30th all-time) and Kareem Williams (934 career yards).

“We need a little depth in the offensive line, but I definitely like what I see there,” said Rocco, who also had felt there was good ability and depth at wide receiver and tight end.

Two-year starter Joe Walker and Pat Kehoe, who did not see game action as a redshirt freshman, are the only scholarship quarterbacks involved in spring practice. That’s been a position widely viewed as one that could benefit from the addition of a transfer.

“I want to be able to evaluate every position with the same amount of attention to detail and then decide what we have and make decisions moving forward as we continue to put this thing together,” Rocco said.

Hen scratch

Delaware will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:45 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m... Starting guard Mario Farinella, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opener last season, is on pace to return this fall and could see limited spring duty, Rocco said... Tight end Brandon Whaley, who was sidelined the last few games last fall with an ankle injury, will miss spring practice... In Delaware’s strength and conditioning program, “we had a number of lifts, tests, where everybody had a personal record,” Rocco said. “I feel like they’re moving, sinking, bending, changing direction better, and that’s a big part of what I thought was lacking last year.”... Among the standouts was freshman linebacker Colby Reeder out of Salesianum. “His numbers are extraordinary, especially for a guy in his first year,” said Rocco of performances that included a 39.7-inch vertical jump.... The Be the Match Bone Marrow Drive is Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Trabant Student Center. It’s open to anyone from the community and no pre-registration is required. A saliva swab is taken and then submitted to a national registry. Information is at www.bethematch.org.